From the Third Story Window
by Alyssacookie
Summary: Vodka isn't a mean cat...or at least not on purpose. Still no one wants to be his friend. That is, until a certain cat literally drops into his life. Nekotalia. Rochu with a little background Spamano and Gerita if you squint.


Vodka was a happy cat.

He woke up on Sunday the same as any other day. For a long time the cat would not move, simply enjoying the feel of sunshine on his back. Especially now during the winter it was good to be at ease from the cold for a little while. When he decided to get up, the cat would stretch his coiled legs on his soft sunflower-print cat bed. Then he always shook out his long, thick fur coat to make sure it was nice and fluffy.

Once he deemed himself ready to get up, Vodka would hop off of his sunflower bed and onto the floor. He would make his way towards the kitchen to see if his comrade was awake yet. On the way, he shook out his heavy fur to make sure it stayed fluffy. Ivan would usually brush it for him once a day. It didn't always happen first thing in the morning, though. Sometimes he would get brushed at night.

If Ivan was in the kitchen Vodka always took the opportunity for a good rub down. He didn't mind it when other people pet him, but Ivan was the only one who pet him firmly enough that he could really feel it through his coat. Much to his disappointment Ivan had already gone.

His bowl was always filled with vodka. It was Vodka's namesake and his favorite thing in the whole world, except maybe Ivan or his scarf.

His scarf! The cat yowled pitifully. Looks like he wouldn't get his scarf today. Ivan usually held onto it for him during the night so it wouldn't get dirty. At least it wasn't snowing outside.

Vodka checked his food bowl to find about half a can of wet beef cat food inside. His mood improved immensely. If there was one thing that he loved to eat it was wet beef cat food. Some cats he met snuck tastes of what their owner ate – Gino especially, always snagging pasta. But Vodka was a simple cat that had simple tastes. Ivan was the same way, actually.

He trotted over to the door that led to the balcony and fire escape. It was cracked open ever so slightly, something that Ivan allowed since they were both so suited for the cold. Vodka wiggled a paw through the crack and before long got his entire leg through. From there it was a simple matter to shoulder the door open.

A blast of cold air met Vodka outside. It wasn't so bad actually. Definitely chilly for a lesser cat but nothing he had to worry about. Sundays were a good day to see who else had come down to the alley that morning. The alley was a great place to make friends.

Most of the cats that lived around met in the alley. Tama, a Bobtail belonging to a Japanese man who lived on the second floor of the apartment building, was always willing to trade shiny toys and trinkets for tuna. Vodka spotted him first as he climbed from his home on one of the highest floors.

He also spotted Gino and Berlin nearby, friends of Tama's who belonged to a Italian and a German, respectively. They were great friends though Gino seemed to get on Berlin's nerves a lot. Sometimes Berlin would play rough with the other cat but everyone else knew that they were best of friends.

Then his heart sank a little. Also sitting in the alley were Cheeseburger and Maple, twin cats. Cheeseburger played too roughly with his sister sometimes. Vodka chant-meowed to himself a little. Cheeseburger was so _aggravating_ and _loud. _To make matters worse Berlin's littermate, Gunther was in the alley with Enrique, Tomato, and Lafayette.

Gunther was a real terror of a cat. He insisted that beer was better than vodka, which was fine considering that every cat should have an opinion _but maybe some cats should keep their opinions to themselves cause they're stupid, kolkolmeow._ Even worse the stupid albino cat was always picking fights with him. Vodka couldn't help but rise to the challenge, considering that every time he refused Gunther would make fun of his scarf or if he was wearing it, the other cat would steal it. How mean! All the other cats were scared of Vodka now because he was the only one Gunther couldn't win against. It wasn't fair – Vodka was not a violent cat to begin with.

Maybe if Vodka just stuck to the walls Gunther wouldn't notice him. He could just check in with everyone, say hi, and see if Tama had any sunflower items to trade. Ivan might have some tuna to give lying around somewhere. All Vodka had to do was keep his head down–

"Kesese!" came a yowl, and Vodka's big heart sank. "I knew I smelled something bad. What's up, Russiacat?"

Vodka tried to maintain a cheerful face even as he rounded on the belligerent cat at the other end of the alley. The others were staring.

Enrique stopped grooming Tomato with his tongue to whisper, "Leave him alone Gunther. Vodka is one bad cat!" The she-cat lying next to him paid the conversation no mind. Instead Tomato batted Enrique's cheek with her paw to gain his attention again.

The fluffy cat was hurt by that comment. He was not a bad cat!

Gunther gave his best kitty smirk and sauntered down the alleyway. "So," he drawled lazily, "you up for a rematch?"

"Not really," Vodka admitted, unwilling to fight but not really willing to back away either.

"I get it,' Gunther teased, getting down in a pouncing position and making the fluffier cat's hair stand on end, "you're…scared!" And lightning-fast, the albino cat flew through the air and landed on Vodka's back.

The bigger cat hissed outright, immediately rolling over to crush Gunther beneath his considerable weight. Gunther managed to wiggle free with a yowl and a claw swipe to Vodka's side. He was unaffected once more since Gunther's claws were too short and broken to get through his heavy fur. Vodka tried to pounce, but the other cat was too quick and slipped away.

It went back and forth like this for a little while until Vodka finally pounced and landed directly on top of the other cat. "Leave me alone, da?" he panted. Unfortunately he didn't notice Gunther's eyes getting wider in alarm until a screaming mass of claws and fur landed directly on his head.

Wok was an indoor cat.

She was regal, the oldest cat of her litter and the only pet of her owner, one Yao Wang. Her owner groomed her sleek black fur twice a day. It was groomed another three times or more by her tongue. On Sundays both the forever busy Yao and Wok slept in, enjoying the lack of alarm that they both would usually wake up to. Eventually the duo would enjoy some relaxing breathing exercises or Tai Chi to wake them up.

By then the pair would have essentially skipped breakfast, and would settle into lunch. Wok prided herself in her ability to assist Yao in the kitchen.

Instead of a peaceful morning the routine was shattered when two cats began screaming from the alleyway. Yao was a light sleeper, and when he was awakened so was Wok. He shuffled to the window. The sleek cat followed, gracefully hopping onto the sill. When the window was opened they both shivered from the chill. "Hey cats!" Yao called, annoyed, "Stop fighting so loudly, we're trying to sleep."

Wok threw in a hiss for good measure. They waited a moment to see what happened. Unfortunately, if anything, the fighting got louder. Yao propped the window open a little more. Wok looked at him expectantly.

"Maybe," he mused, "you should teach them a lesson."

The cat meowed her agreement. Yes, those noisy cats should be taught a lesson. It was so impolite to wake others up with some silly catfight. How inconsiderate!

Wok prided herself in being a first-rate guard cat. There was no need for Yao to have to get some smelly dog to protect the house. She would claw in all the perfect spots to bring a human intruder down. If they were too well protected for that Wok could weave between their feet to trip them without getting stepped on. Only amateurs got stepped on. Between the two of them their apartment was never the one that was robbed or broken into.

Daintily, Wok slunk underneath the window and looked down below. They were too high up for her to jump to the alley, but she could certainly fall one story to the fire escape. She did just that. Landing on the grates with a clank the cat steadied herself before trotting a few stories down. When she was a story or two from the ground Wok checked on her targets.

The two cats were still going at it, but it was obvious that the bigger brown cat was going to win. _No, you both loose, _Wok thought to herself resentfully. She jumped from the fire escape straight down with her claws outstretched. When she landed on the brown cat's head Wok loosed a fearsome shriek and starting clawing wherever she could gain purchase.

"Big…stupid…cat! We were sleeping! Rude! Rude, aru!" she chastised, making the bigger cat reel backwards, shaking his head in an attempt to get her off. When he rolled they were both sent spinning. Wok let go.

The big brown cat lay down, both paws shielding his face. "Don't do that again. I apologize for waking you, lady cat. _Kolkolkol, _my face."

Wok licked her paw. "You're in no way to tell me what to do."

"Ow," the bigger cat continued to complain. "It wasn't even my fault. Gunther made me fight him."

"Who's Gunther?" the female cat asked unrepentantly, continuing to groom herself.

The bigger cat uncovered his eyes and his large ears pointed up once more. He was a little scratched up, but it was hard to tell from the blood matting his fur. Wok was pleased to see she had nicked his ear.

Vodka hissed when he finally regained his footing. "This stupid albino cat that tricked everyone into being afraid of me just because he can't win a fair fight."

Wok flicked and ear, still not looking at the other cat. She paused in her grooming though her eyes were still closed. "Well that's not very nice."

"It isn't," Vodka hissed as he made his way towards the smaller cat. She didn't know Gunther? Even better the new cat didn't seem afraid of him. He'd forgive her crazy sneak attack if he could finally, maybe, make a friend.

Sensing his increased closeness Wok finally opened her eyes. She was met with two of the prettiest, kindest violet eyes she had ever seen on a cat. The cat breathed in sharply. "Oh," the cat began, suddenly remembering her manners, "I'm Wok."

Vodka smiled through the pain. "Well my name is Vodka. Are you okay? Did you get hurt when you jumped onto my face and got rolled on the ground?"

"Aiyah!" Wok exclaimed, surprised that he would be concerned about the cat that had just jumped him. "Of course I'm fine. You seem like a nice enough cat though. I regret jumping on your face." She felt a little push of apology. "Here…"

Much to Vodka's alarm, the crazy female cat who had just jumped on him held his head in between her paws. Carefully she rose a little onto her hind legs and began to lick at his blood stained fur. He froze. It was a gentle thing to do, and a little strange. Vodka found that he didn't mind it very much. They sat there awkwardly for a little bit while Wok finished her self-assigned task.

"There," she sighed, releasing the larger cat and returning to licking her own paw.

Vodka was happy. "Thank you," he twittered, rubbing her neck. Maybe that's what friends were supposed to do.

"Friends?" Wok echoed. The larger cat was suddenly embarrassed. He hadn't realized he said that out loud. Before he could correct himself she stopped her continuous grooming and regarded him. "Okay," she decided suddenly, "I don't usually talk to many other cats besides my litter mates…but I'll be your friend if you want me to, aru." It helped a little with the guilt of punishing the wrong cat.

"Really?" Vodka meowed happily. "Yay! I have a friend," he said more to himself then to Wok. He nudged her happily. "Come with me," the bigger cat prodded. "I'm going to show you my home. Ivan will be so surprised."

Wok got up nervously. She was a little unsure about just barging in on the property of someone she didn't know but she couldn't bring herself to dampen Vodka's sudden happiness. Wok got the feeling this was a new thing for him. It was for her too.

"Okay, friend. Lead the way."

* * *

**A/N: There we have it: a Rochu nekotalia story. I hope you enjoyed! If you did, review. I might even continue!**


End file.
